The Bartons (C. Barton & L. Barton)

Chapter Three

      Althea spent time hanging up her dresses, as the Bartons spent their time together downstairs. She didn't want to intrude, so she figured hanging up her dresses would take up some time. While hanging up her last dress, she heard a small knock on the doorway of her room. She looked over and seen Clint standing there.

"You know you don't have to wear your armor anymore," Clint commented,"You're safe here."

"All I have are dresses," She replied,"Thor did not prepare me for Midgardian clothing."

"Do you like wearing dresses?" Clint asked, making the girl smile slightly.

"It is the proper way for any Asgardian woman to wear when they are of royal stature." She answered, causing Clint to cross his arms.

"Maybe, but you're no longer royal, are you?" He questioned, and she frowned.

"I — no? Odin casted me out, but if Thor or Loki took the throne, I would assume I will get my royal stature back." She said, and he nodded slightly.

"So, would it be safe to assume you'd want to wear clothes more like Earth while you're here?" He asked, causing her to nod.

"Yes, but I have no Midgardian money." She replied, making him smile as well.

"Don't worry, I got you covered," He said, causing her to tilt her head in confusion,"You'll go shopping with Laura and Lila tomorrow."

"But, how will I pay you back?" She asked, and he shrugged.

"Guess we'll just have to find something for you to do around the house or something." He replied, and she nodded.

        Althea grabbed her footwear from her bag and placed them on the floor of the closet. Clint looked at the shoes and shook his head. Those shoes were definitely uncomfortable. He was going to have Laura get Althea clothes and shoes. She needed more than just expensive, formal dresses and uncomfortable shoes.

"You can come downstairs and watch a movie with us," Clint commented,"It would help you get comfortable with everyone."

"Are your tiny humans afraid of my attire?" She asked, making him laugh.

"First, it's kids, not tiny humans. You're not that tall, even for a formal goddess," He replied,"and no, they're not afraid of your armor, but Laura may have clothes you can borrow if you want to change."

"Yes, please." She murmured, and he nodded.

       Clint went to his and Laura's room and looked through her clothes. He sent Laura a message, asking her which clothes Althea could borrow. Laura directed him towards her comfortable clothes and had him get a pair of shorts and a shirt, then she had him grab a sundress for the girl to wear in the morning.

        Once Clint had the clothes, he headed back to Althea's room. He held the clothes out to her, and she gave him a polite smile. She still looked nervous, but she was slowly looking less and less stressed out and frightened.

"Laura let you use a shirt and shorts for today, and tomorrow you've got a sundress to wear to the store." He said, and she nodded.

"May I bathe before I change?" She asked, causing him to look at her quizzically.

"Yeah, you don't have to ask," He replied,"but when you're finished, come down and spend time with the family."

"Of course." She murmured, giving him a smile.

       Clint left the room, and Althea headed to the bathroom. There was one bathroom that she had to share with Lila, Cooper, and Nathaniel. The other bathroom was in Laura and Clint's room, and she didn't feel comfortable using their shower. It was in their room for a reason, so in her mind, it was only for them to use.

       Natasha had to show Althea how to use the shower in the hotel, so luckily Althea had a bit of an idea on how to use this one. The only difference with this one was that the hot and cold water was controlled with two instead of one. She had to spend five minutes figuring out how to make the water warm enough for her skin, but not too hot where it would burn her.

        Althea was use to using special soaps and such to wash her hair and body. For the longest time, she had a woman that would bathe her. It wasn't her choice, it was Odin's, but she was use to it. Only recently had she started bathing on her own, and now she had to use soaps that she wasn't use to. If she had the chance, she would ask Thor to bring her the things she used in Asgard, if he ever came back to see her.

       Anyhow, after the shower, she used the fluffy towels to dry herself. She used her magic to fix her hair, since it took a long time to fix without magic. Once she was dry and her hair was fixed, she slipped on the clothes Laura had let her borrow. She only had underwear, since in Asgard women didn't have to worry about covering their chests. They wore dresses and such that kept their chests from showing, so they didn't have to worry about what Althea was now seeing.

         She had looked in the mirror, and through the shirt, she could see the outline of her breasts, and her nipples were easily seen outlined by the shirt as well. She could not go downstairs like that, she felt like one of the women she'd see in a pub. She was quick to go to the bottom of the stairs, and peak out around the side.

"Laura? Can you come upstairs, please?" Althea called, and the woman stood up.

"Coming." Laura replied, as she headed towards the stairs.

        Laura had no idea what the girl needed, but she figured it was important. The girl sounded nervous, which made her wonder if she didn't know how to use something. Laura almost wanted to curse Clint, figuring that he forgot to show her how to work the shower or something...